Well, another series is in the books so to speak. Several people have told me how much they have gotten out of our "American Idols" series. We closed out the series today talking about a fully devoted heart. What does a fully devoted heart look like? That, after all, is the issue with idols - something has taken God's place in our hearts. We could have talked about many things. In fact, this week I thought this would make a series in itself. But today we narrowed it down to three - a heart that's been born again (John 3), a heart that submits to the absolute authority of Jesus (Matt. 8), and a servant's heart (John 13).

We continue to have visitors each week. The first service continues to be larger in attendance than the second. Overall, we seemed to be down in numbers today. I personally invited a ton of people to church this week. I mean it just seemed like God put people and opportunities all around me. I'll have to tell you about some of them later. And they were so obvious. Now the truth is, the opportunities were always there, God just opened my eyes and my heart and I opened my mouth. But you know what? Not one of them came to church today. Not one. I will not lose hope. I will keep talking, keep praying, keep inviting. Coastal, join me. Let's pull out all the stops and really go after people. Be bold. Be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.

I've got our 101 Membership Class later today. It's one of my favorite things I do here at Coastal. And guess what we're providing for dinner tonight? Now usually we provide Papa John's pizza. Nothing wrong with that. But Ladles Soups is providing dinner tonight! The owner of the restaurant, Suzy, is a neighbor of a couple (Jennifer & Patrick) here at our church. Janet and I have been to the restaurant a few times and Suzy said that if we were ever having a dinner or eating at our church to let her know and she would give us some soups from her freezer! Tonight we're having French Onion, Split Pea, Creamy Corn Prosciutto, and White Bean and Ham. Wow! Is that cool or what - especially on a cool day like today? So visit Ladles Soups and tell Suzy you're from Coastal and how much you appreciate her kindness. You'll also recognize the tables and chairs in her restaurant. Just don't make any Soup Nazi jokes. I'm sure she's heard them all - "No soup for you!"

Today is my wife's birthday! It's kind of a busy day, so the whole family took her out last night for a birthday dinner. We went to the Fat Hen on Johns Island. We actually need to thank Dan & Tracy for a gift certificate they gave us at Christmas to the restaurant. It was great! And to top off a great meal, the pastry chef at the Fat Hen is a woman from our church (Lindsey) and she made a special dessert just for Janet. It was awesome! I've said this before, but she will be making something for our church soon. In fact, I think I'll be talking to her about our Volunteer Banquet (Saturday, March 8th)! We had a great evening!

Janet - what can I say? I love you! I love everything about you! You are the woman of my dreams. You are the most beautiful woman in the world! You make everything in life so much better. I love your heart for God, for our family, for ministry, for people, and for me! I can't imagine doing life without you! If there was ever a couple created for each other - it's you and me! Thank you for all you are and do! Happy Birthday!

This song's for you! Enjoy! Birthday Dedication

Tonight American Idol comes to Charleston! Actually, they already came, but tonight we get to see the results of their visit. In other words, our fine, sophisticated Southern city gets to be embarrassed on national television. I can't wait! And speaking of embarrassing - here's our week 3 "American Idols" audition we showed on Sunday, just in case you missed it. Enjoy!

Okay I know we're not the frozen tundra or even close, but it's been cold this weekend (by Charleston standards). Yesterday was nasty - cold and WET. Today was cold, but at least the sun was out. I don't know if it was the weather or the long weekend, but attendance was definitely down today. But we still had several visitors. Most visitors seem to be coming to the second service. However, more people are attending the first - go figure. Keep inviting and be willing to go to whatever service your friends want to come.

My voice is back and I'm feeling better, but I am emotionally spent after the second service. I'm loving two services, but it has been an adjustment from a preaching standpoint. I will say this - the larger the crowd, the higher the energy level, the easier it is to feed off of that as far as music and preaching goes. Speaking of music. I love our band. I really appreciate their willingness to change and adapt. Ranny & Wyatt have taken a short little sabbatical and everyone else has been willing to step up and step in wherever needed. I love you guys.

And yes I love it that we can open up our service with, "I Want to Rock & Roll All Night (And Party Every Day)!" We are in week 3 of our American Idols series and each week we give everyone an opportunity to vote on 1 of 3 songs to open up the following week's service. They can turn in a ballot at each week's service, text a vote, or vote online. Last week we had over 450 votes online.

Love the Idol "audition" each week from Andy! Jeremiah and Andy have done a great job with that!

In February, we launch a new series entitled, "Myth Busters." It's going to be all about "busting" some commonly held assumptions about things that people think are in the Bible, but are not. By the way, we're trying to get our hands on a "crash dummy" or mannequin that we can use during this series. Let me know if you can hook me up.

Today's message was on the idol of modern spirituality - the idea that you can believe whatever you choose to believe because all roads lead to God. It's really just the other side of the coin of religion. Religion is man's attempt to reach God - a very narrow, legalistic, works oriented path. Modern spirituality is still our attempt to reach God on our own terms, but we've just broadened the path - anything goes. If it's true for you, then it's okay as long as you're sincere. I hope you can tell that the past two weeks we've tackled some tough stuff. The bottom line for me is that it's time for the Jesus followers everywhere to live as salt and light. We're called to live as missionaries in this world - to reach out and share the greatest news ever! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Intercede! Invest! Invite! Include!

Our students got back today a little after 5PM from their Winter Ski Retreat in Gatlinburg TN. Other than a few bumps and bruises and a little sickness they all arrived safe and sound. And from what I've heard from everyone - my kids included - they had a blast! I personally want to thank our volunteers - Matt & Kathy, Ryan & Twila, Donna, and Andy. Your example, servanthood, and witness are greatly appreciated. We have the best volunteers a church could ask for. I also want to thank our students. I've heard over and over how well behaved you were and how proud I would be (I AM proud!). And yes, I want to single out Jeremiah, our Youth Pastor, and thank him. Jeremiah, thank you for serving the Lord by loving, leading, and serving our students. Anyone who says that retreats and camp are mini-vacations has never been to camp or our retreats. Jeremiah, your hard work is noticed and appreciated. I'm sure Jeremiah will be posting pictures on the WAVES website.

I talked to Jeremiah this morning and the Winter Retreat is going great! Their theme is Connect. Continue to pray for their safety (they return on Saturday), but also that they connect with each other and God.

And yes, Janet and I have enjoyed our time together without the kids. Yesterday afternoon we went to see the movie, "The Bucket List" starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nickolson, at the Palmetto Grande theater in Mount Pleasant - our favorite movie theater. After the movie we shopped a little bit and then went to the Fat Hen on Johns Island for dinner. Had a great day!

A few notes about the movie: We were the youngest people in the theater. I told Janet that the senior center went on a field trip. Overall, it was a good flick. The language was a little rough. There were actually several faith messages in the film. Without giving the movie away, the idea is simple - the two main characters are dying, but before they die, they decide to go on a quest to experience several things before they "kick the bucket." Just wondering - what would be on your "bucket list"? Places you'd like to go, things you'd like to do or accomplish or see? Leave a comment.

Today was our annual Termite inspection at the church! Don't worry - we got a clean bill of health. But when the inspector finished her tour of the building she said this, "This church looks like a place where the kids have a lot of fun!" Was that an open door or what? I told her all about our church and our Children's Ministry. I invited her to come and visit. Guess what? She lived West Ashley and was looking for a church. She said she and her family would be here this Sunday. They had been to other churches but according to her they weren't very friendly or didn't have much for her kids.

Now I don't know if they'll be here or not, but I know this - there are people all around us who are searching. We need to pray, open our eyes, and when the opportunity presents itself - ask! And the more you pray, the more you ask, the more you talk about your faith and our church, the more natural it will become.

And a huge thanks to Cindy Tighe for all the painting in the Nursery & Splash Zone rooms and to Nancy Rankin and Linda Evans for the backdrop in Coastal Kidz. People notice! It all works together to share and experience LIFE!

Season 7 of American Idol premieres tonight on Fox at 8PM. Will you be watching? Just in case you missed Andy's "audition" the past two weeks, I thought I'd post them here. I can't wait for this Sunday's episode. Enjoy!

Week 1:


Week 2:

(With the Football Playoffs, thought you would like the picture - thanks Scott.) Really loving two services already. My voice hasn't completely recovered - if you were in the second service, I'm sure you could tell. But I just love the vibe of excitement at Coastal right now! We're having more people in the first service than in the second, but we have more visitors and return visitors in the second. What really cracks me up though is that people still come late to the second service. But whether you're in the first or in the second, keep inviting and bringing people. Be willing to come to whatever service your guests prefer to come. Adding multiple services in and of itself will not grow the church. God grows the church through people who are praying, inviting, and reaching out.

One of the things that I am so proud of our church right now is the numbers of people who are serving. For many volunteers at Coastal, Sunday is a long day - especially the Praise & Worship Team, Promiseland, and Student Ministry. But you faithfully serve because you love God and you love seeing people's lives changed. You believe in what we're doing.

For those of you wondering what you might do to help - come to one service and then serve in the other or in between the two. Here are some ways to serve: Our Communion Team prepares, sets out, and then cleans up Communion each week for both services. Our 1st Impressions Team really needs volunteers right now. We need to more than double the number of people in this Ministry. They are the ones who welcome and greet everyone, hand out bulletins, answer questions, direct people with children to the check-in counter, and take up our offering. They help create a warm, helpful, inviting atmosphere from the parking lot to the chair. They need your help! Our 3C's Cafe (coffee & doughnuts) could always use more volunteers to set up, clean up, and help create a warm cafe-like atmosphere. Right now we have a couple of people who have taken it upon themselves to clean up (pick-up bulletins, empty trash, and vacuum entry ways) in between services.

Other than 1st Impressions, our greatest need and opportunity to serve is in Promiseland - our Children's Ministry. You don't have to be able to teach to serve. You can work the check-in counter. You can serve in Nursery. You can be an assistant. But what I want you to see is that if everyone coming to one service would simply be willing to volunteer in Nursery in the other service once every six weeks or so, what a huge need that would meet and what a difference you would make in the Kingdom. Maybe you're not ready to be a lead teacher in Splash Zone or Coastal Kidz, but could you simply sit in and help? And speaking of Promiseland, Janet said that our new teams in Coastal Kidz did a great job yesterday! Way to go Mark & Ashley! If you are willing to serve in any of these ways, simply shoot me an email and we'll get you started.

After the second service we had a Newcomers Lunch. I love meeting new people and talking about Coastal. Huge thanks to Kathy Beam for taking care of the meal! They are a great example of a family who serves in multiple ministries. Sunday is a long day for them, but they do it for the Lord and they believe in what we're doing (and they have four kids!).

My message yesterday was pretty hard hitting. It was on the idol of religion. That's right - religion. I believe that if there is something in our culture that is keeping people away from God today it is "churchianity" - people go through the motions, go to church, but don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. The passage we looked at was from Luke 11 where Jesus had a rather heated confrontation with the Pharisees. I said you might be religious if . . . outward appearance is more important than inner purity; rituals are more important than a relationship with God; being seen by others is more important than serving God; rigid rules are more important than love; and reliving the past is more important than recognizing God's present activity.

Sunday afternoon Janet took the kids to WAVES and I headed to the visitation for Shealy Pendarvis' mom who passed away on Friday. She had Alzheimer's Disease. The place was packed. She was a very faithful, loving Christian woman. As her husband, Shealy's dad, gave me a hug, he teared up talking about his bride. He called her his "sweet girl" and told me that she's dancing with Jesus now. They had been married for 61 years. That's right - 61 years! What a great example of a loving relationship of faith and commitment! Thank you God for my "sweet girl."

When Saddleback Community Church in Orange County California celebrated it's 25th anniversary, Pastor Rick Warren challenged his church and Christians everywhere to a radical commitment. Every time I read these words I get jacked up! Read them and then read them again. He actually challenged his people to sign and date this commitment.

A Call to Radical Commitment
By Rick Warren

Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling, and I'm finished with wavering. I've made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying.

Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me.

When times get tough, and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway.

Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes!

I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I'll hear you say, "Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!"

What does this mean?

Today, I affirm this commitment to God and submit to his plans and purposes for my life, no matter what it takes.


________________________________
Signature


________________________________
Date

On Saturday, one of my best friends in ministry, Buck, unexpectedly lost a good friend at his church in the prime of his life due to a heart condition. The man was 44, married, and had 3 small children at home. He had been in Buck's Men's Small Group for almost 3 years. Both husband and wife were very involved in the church. When he shared the story with me, my heart just went out to this family and to my good friend Buck who is called to shepherd his flock through this difficult time. It made what little kinks we have to work out going to two services seem petty. It made losing my voice seem trivial. But it made the words I shared in my message come to life for me. There is a day we are born. There will be a day when we breathe our last breath in this world. The time we have between those two days is the one and only life we have to live. Life is short. We are called to make the most of every opportunity and live for eternity and live with a sense of urgency. Live a life without regrets. Love God. Love people. Buck, you and your church are in my prayers. God is at His best through you, not only when you are teaching His word, but when you are loving His people.

What a day! Overall, the first Sunday of two services was a great success. We actually had more people in the first service than in the second. I don't know if it will stay that way, but it did kind of catch me by surprise. I think it's going to take about a month to get in a good rhythm. I thought the first service went great. And then I was almost blown away that the second was even better. We probably had more guests in the second service. The Praise & Worship Team was just on.

Physically I was hanging on by a thread. My voice was gone, but hot lemon tea, Halls, and adrenaline kept me going. Actually, it was God! I've got to get to feeling better this week. The transition between the services was fast - 30 minutes. It went quick. Loved the video that Andy and Jeremiah put together. The cool thing today is just how many people served. We have a ton of students serving! And by the way, there were a ton of students and Coastal Kidz at the church tonight.

As far as kinks go - we actually forgot to schedule counters for the offering in the second service. Children's Ministry continues to be a work in progress as new teachers learn new material and learn to work within new teams. As more and more happens on Sundays it becomes more important that our volunteers are on time, in place, and ready to go.

My message today was about idolatry - that it's actually something that we all struggle with because an idol is anything that gets in the way of God being at the center of your life. Our theme verse for this series is 1John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” Why is that so important? Jonah 2:8, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Let's cast aside worthless idols and live for eternity and with a sense of urgency.

Coastal, having two services is great. But if I've learned anything over the years it's that buildings and services don't grow the church. God does and He uses people and churches who are serious about reaching this world for Jesus. He uses people who live for eternity and with a sense of urgency. He uses people who pray and live as missionaries in the world in which God has placed them. You see, we could strip away all the cool videos, slick mailers, and live bands, and still turn this world upside down if just a few people would take God at his word, pray, invest, invite, and include. Coastal, let's change the world this year - one life at a time! Let's never become so enamored with the tools, that we lose sight of the real object of our affection and source of our power - Jesus!

Okay - don't worry, it's nothing bad. It's just that it's late Saturday night (actually, it's early Sunday morning) and I'm up thinking about tomorrow. In the grand scheme of things tomorrow is just another day, another Sunday, another service.

But tomorrow our church goes to two Sunday services - 9:30AM & 11:15AM. Again, really not a big deal. Hundreds upon hundreds of churches have multiple services. Today hundreds of churches have multiple services on different days in different locations - multi-site. I grew up in a church that had two services. But tomorrow we do it.

In some ways, it's the beginning of something great. I'm excited about it because it's simply a step of faith. And from my experience that's when God is at His best. It's an outward sign of our intention to reach people. It says we're willing to do whatever it takes to reach people for Jesus, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it's difficult. It expands our capacity to grow. It expands our capacity for ministry. It has forced us to build teams. It's shaken things up a bit. It's moved people out of their comfort zones. It's brought change. And change, all change, is difficult. Some people leave. Some people complain.

But the only voice that demands our attention and obedience is God's. And I believe that God has been saying, "It's about time. I've been waiting on you. Now get ready for the ride of your life." And so tonight I'm thinking about how tomorrow will go. What kinks will we have to work out? Who will show up? What new people will be there? What will the transition be like between services? What have I forgotten? Will my voice and energy stand up for two services? Right now I feel like I'm getting sick and I'm losing my voice (not good the night before you go to two services). So my confession is that I'm nervous and excited all at once.

But I'm also praying about what's next. What is our next step of faith? What can we do to better reach out to lost, hurting people? When can we add a third service? What about a Saturday night service? Who is our next staff hire? Anyway, those are my thoughts. It's late - 6:30 comes early. Keep us in your prayers. Coastal - see you in the morning.

I'll be honest with you - I've struggled with tomorrow's message. Now don't misunderstand me - I've prayed, scribbled down notes, read through passage after passage, lost sleep, and complained to my wife and good friends (thanks Buck). We even talked through the idea for the message and the entire series in our Creative Team meeting. But it just wasn't coming together this week. Which, from what I've learned, is the way it should be. It means that I've had to wrestle with what God wants me to say. God speaks to me through His word and then I can confidently speak to others. And without fail I am jacked up about tomorrow's message. As I tell my kids, "Strap it on tight. I'm bringing the heat tomorrow. We're going to rock the house!" But it's not about me getting jacked up and raising my voice and stepping on people's toes. It's that God is rockin' my world and changing me with His word. After all, it's our hearts God's aiming at - not our toes. It's not about making people squirm. It's about sharing the good news of God's grace through Jesus and letting Him change lives! Self-righteous religious people squirm and get their toes crunched. Humble sinners get their lives changed!

Wow! Our people like to vote! I sent out an email this afternoon reminding everyone that you get to choose the opening song for Sunday and within 4 hours over a hundred more votes came pouring in.

That's right, each week we will give you three different songs to choose from for the following Sunday's service. You can turn in a ballot on Sunday - that's when we reveal the following week's choices. You can text a vote. Or you can vote online. You can vote as often as you like, but the voting is closed on Friday at noon. Each Sunday during the American Idol series we will give you another 3 songs to vote on. Go here to see this week's songs and to vote. And then come early each week so that you don't miss the opening song. This week we go to two services - 9:30AM & 11:15AM. It's going to be awesome! Oh yeah - don't forget to vote!

I ran across these questions for the New Year on another Pastor's Blog. I thought they were great. A lot of growth is dependent on our ability to ask and answer the right questions. This is a good start. Do you have any you would add?

1. How can I be a better follower of Jesus, husband, dad, and friend in 2008?
2. How can I be a more faithful Pastor and leader in 2008?
3. Where do I want my time to go in 2008? 

4. Am I doing things that either need to be delegated or deleted? 

5. Am I planning to take a Sabbath every week?

6. How am I going to take care of myself physically in 2008? 

7. Have I put together a budget that honors God and meets the needs of my family?

8. How many books am I going to read? 

9. What is my Bible reading plan for 2008? 

10. How can I take my service to God to the next level? 

11. What are the relationships I need to nurture or cut next year?

12. How am I going to grow as a leader?

13. Am I committed to growing in giving and modeling generosity to my church?

14. How am I going to stir up my gifts and give those time and attention?

I pray 2008 is your best year yet!

Tigers win! Tigers win! That's all I'm saying. (At least we can still be friends Bruce.)